Chapter 1: The Commodity of Kings

“Success is not an accident. The difference between people who produce positive results and those who do not is not some sort of random roll of the dice.”

In the past, only kings and dukes had the resources to lead nations, almost unlimited power, and unmistakable authority, but these times have gone. Today each of us has the potential to be whatever we want. Our lives are no longer dictated by heritage or titles, instead, our future is what we make of it.

We hold great power through our ability to act. By acting, we produce results. Note that our actions (and inactions!) always produce results. By doing nothing, we also produce results; however, the results might not be what we desire. Therefore, we have to be conscious of our behaviors and actions. To be successful, we have to take action. This is something that can be developed; you do not have to be born with it.

An aspect of this power is communication skills. These skills are not only important when working with others but also with ourselves. Good communication with other people will improve your social, financial, and emotional life. How you interpret what happens around you can provide real happiness, joy, ecstasy, and even love.

We are in charge of our emotions and are responsible for the states we are in. For example, depression is the result of specific mental and physical actions. We adopt a specific posture, the tone of voice, and interpret what happens in our lives in specific ways. By changing our actions, we can immediately change our emotions and behaviors.

There are seven fundamental character traits that lead to success: Passion, Belief, Strategy, Clarity of Values, Energy, Bonding Power, and Mastery of Communication.

A billionaire was asked about success. He replied that the recipe is simple: we need to specifically decide what we want, how much we are willing to pay to make it happen (paying doesn’t only refer to money; you can pay in other ways such as time), and pay it.